Indiana's Disaster Fund and UMCOR

In June our Mission Focus was the Indiana Disaster Fund and $549 was sent to this fund from our offering.  Today, I was part of a Disaster Committee vote to approve using $10,000 to help with the aftermath of the cleanup in Kokomo. How blessed Indiana is to have churches who recognize how important it is to have a fund with ready cash that allows volunteers to respond to disasters immediately when they happen "locally".

Valparaiso 1st is a big supporter of UMCOR.  We send one team to volunteer at Sager Brown in Baldwin, LA and we send another team to Midwest Mission Distribution Center in Chatham, IL. This has been a yearly event for 11 years.   Both teams take funds with them from the congregation to help fund this ministry of responding to disasters world wide.   UMCOR has been in existence since 1940 ... that's 75 years of being there for people who are suffering.     UMCOR is involved in the South Bend and Kokomo by providing $10,000 each place to begin getting families back to normal.  Depending on the year about 40% - 60% of all money leaving Indiana Conference and going to the Advance program (lands in New York...soon to be in Atlanta, GA.) is designated for UMCOR.   Indiana as a whole promotes and supports UMCOR.   We like what they do, we like how they go about it, and we like that our donation is used at 100%.

Any church building that suffers damage has to depend upon Insurance coverage and the Indiana Disaster Fund when it comes to putting their facility back together.   UMCOR does not allow its money to be used to rebuild churches.   Think about why that would be as an effective NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) working every where in the world.    So it is with the funds we sent in July, we will be assisting with the repairs and support for the Kokomo Urban Outreach and Kokomo Trinity UMC.  We are so thankful that our church is open to learning about how we connect though our giving. You see... it takes UMCOR, regional UMCOR Centers, Conferences,  local churches, and you to come together to respond and make a difference.   Thanks for being "connected".